Doctors Hospital is set to launch a $19.8 million expansion in July. The hospital kicked-off the Emergency Department Expansion project with a groundbreaking Friday morning. The 14-month project will create a larger, more efficient department with more treatment rooms. The expanded emergency department will have dedicated X-Ray and CT Scan equipment, additional pediatric ED rooms and clinical observation space. Last year, more than 64,000 patients received care in the emergency department at Doctors Hospital.

With more growth projected for the Greater Augusta Region and Doctors Hospital in the upcoming years, Doctors Hospital CEO Doug Welch said the project starts at a critical time. “As we see the growth of Fort Gordon, Columbia County and the region, we want our patients to know that we’re growing to meet their needs. Additional access to emergency care and other specialty services such as stroke, trauma and cardiac care are important to health of our community. We are prepared to meet the needs of our community today and are committed to meet the growing demand as our community grows.”

Doctors Hospital began the ceremony with a patient story. Tametria Campbell shared the recent experience of her family and her father who was transported to the Doctors Hospital ED by helicopter after a serious illness in a neighboring community. Her tearful account of the care her father received and words of gratitude offered a patient care connection to the ceremony.

Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr., Columbia County Commissioner Trey Allen and leaders from the Columbia County Chamber and Augusta Metro Chamber participated in the groundbreaking ceremony and shared their personal experiences with the Doctors Hospital Emergency Department in their messages of partnership and congratulations.

Emergency medicine physician, Mark Newton, MD, serves as Medical Director for Emergency Services at Doctors Hospital and has firsthand experience with the challenges of meeting the growing demand for emergency services. “We’ve done a remarkable job to care for our community, and this expansion gives us opportunity for greater improvement. One of our main goals is to provide quality care in an efficient and timely manner. We’re confident that we’ll provide an ER experience that is caring, efficient, professional and private.”

Doctors Hospital ER Director, Jodi Cunningham, RN, says the expansion project creates opportunity to improve hospital care coordination by having space for a clinical decision unit. “We’ll be better able to handle a full range of medical emergencies efficiently in our low acuity service area, our Pediatric ER, our trauma services and even more complex and critical care needs with the additional planned space.” Cunningham shares the details of the project

Currently, Doctors Hospital has 26 ER beds, which includes two trauma rooms and five dedicated Pediatric rooms. Doctors’ expansion project will increase the ER to 46 rooms and includes:

· Addition of 27,203 square feet for the Expansion and Relocation of the Emergency Department.

· Increase the number of ED beds from 26 to 36.

· Renovation of existing ED space to increase the number of Pediatric ED beds from 5 to 10.

BREAKING: One man is dead after a single-vehicle crash in Waynesboro overnight. The Burke County Sheriff's Office and Burke County EMA responded to the crash on the 1700 block of Idlewood Road at Highway 25.

BREAKING: One man is dead after a single-vehicle crash in Waynesboro overnight. The Burke County Sheriff's Office and Burke County EMA responded to the crash on the 1700 block of Idlewood Road at Highway 25.

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office is looking for a missing woman. The Sheriff's Office says 27 year-old Audrey Genzer was last seen at her home on the 3000 block of Milledgeville Road at around 9 a.m. Sunday morning.

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office is looking for a missing woman. The Sheriff's Office says 27 year-old Audrey Genzer was last seen at her home on the 3000 block of Milledgeville Road at around 9 a.m. Sunday morning.

Did you know that about every thirty minutes a child is injured by tipped furniture or a falling television? According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's last study more than 15,000 children have been injured and 431 children died due to furniture tip-overs from 2000 to 2016.

Did you know that about every thirty minutes a child is injured by tipped furniture or a falling television? According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's last study more than 15,000 children have been injured and 431 children died due to furniture tip-overs from 2000 to 2016.

Aiken Technical College will be having its annual community career fair in April. It will be on Wednesday, April 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Activities Center gymnasium (900 building). The event is free and open to the public.

Aiken Technical College will be having its annual community career fair in April. It will be on Wednesday, April 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Activities Center gymnasium (900 building). The event is free and open to the public.